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afellilfcMBM«ilillJriilftiiiiM¥iinill'J''-*'''^TMr-lii  ■VUmtaiaitJiMUbi 


AUTHOR: 


DE  PEYSTER,  FREDERIC 


TITLE: 


AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED 
BEFORE... 

PLACE: 

NEW  YORK 

DA  TE : 

1874 


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Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 

-  -  ^ 

De  Peyster,  Frederic,  1 796-1882. 


■:  C|i(y  ,^'>-        An  address  delivered  before  the  New  York  histor.V.l 

^cietv.  at  thp  rp /.i.r^f.v.,  _r  v-     .  .    :°^^  Historical 


\ 


,„,,,        society,  at  the  celeI,r-ifinnV:f  •.  •    ;°''''  '"stoncal 

'r^^^        Tuesday,  January  6  '874      Bv'  V^'V^'^  ^""^^ersary. 

New  YoV  Pub.y;  thJ'soci^t'y.';?;'!"  ^'''"  -     ' 

36  p.     front,  (port.)    27i«». 

liunning  title :  William  the  Thini  as  a  reformer. 


Subject  entries :  Will 


laiu 


">,  king  of  Gt.  Brit.  aM  I.ulu..a,  1650-1702. 
Library  of  Congress,  no.  ^""^^ 


Copy  2. 
Copy  3. 


DA460.IM1. 


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DELIVERED   BEFORE   THE 


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New-York   Historical   Society, 


AT   THE   CELEBRATION   OF   ITS 


y 


■•■■■^M 


SIXTY-XIXlir  ANNIVERSARY,  (  'I  Vf     i  ^  vi    I 

( 

TUESOAV.   JANUARY  6,    X874.  '         L  1  j '>  R  A   I  O 


BY 


'^ 


m0^ 


FREDERIC    DE    PEYSTER,    I. ID., 

PRESIDENT  OF   THE   SOCIETY. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  SOCIETY. 

MDCCCLXXIV. 


J 


♦J 


1 


|e   Hmnpumems  of 


TMU  AUTHO'R. 


y\ 


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t> )  w '"' 


i 


^    At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  New- York  Historical  Society,  held 
in  Its  Hall,  on  Tuesday  evening,  January  6tli.  1S74, 

Frederic  de  Peyster,  Esq.,  LI..!).,  ddivcrol  the  Sixty-niiuh 
Anniversary  Discourse— Subject:   'MViliiarn  111.  as  a  Reformer." 

On  its  conchision,  Mr.  Jamk>  W.  lim  kmax,  after  some  remark., 
submitted  the  following  resolution: 

y?^^^/7'^^  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  presented  to  the 
I  resident  of  the  Society,  Frederic  de  Peyster,  Esq.,  LL.I).  for 
his  learned  and  able  address  delivered  before  the  Societv  tlii.  even- 
ing, and  that  a  copy  be  recjuested  for  publication. 

The  resolution  was  seconded  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Osgood,  witli  re- 
marks, and  was  adopted  unannnou:,ly. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes. 

ASDKEW    WARX ER, 

Recording  Secretary. 


4 


OFFici'.R'^  or 


1    .  I  1  . 


"^orii;  iv,   1874. 


PRESIDENT, 


FRl'DKRIC    DE    PKYSTER,     l/LD. 


FIRST   VICE-PRESIDENT, 

WILLIAM     C  r  L  L  KX     H  R\A  XT.     LL.  D. 


SECOND    \ICE-i'Rl.^iJ)LXT, 

JAMES    W.    T^EEK  M  A  X . 


4r 


I 


FOREIGN    CORRESPONDING    SECRE  FARV, 

WILLIAM    J       HOPPIN. 


DOMESTIC    CORRESP<  )XDING    SECRETARY, 

1 :  V  E  R  T    A  .     IJ  U  Y  C  K  1  X  C  K  . 


RECORDING    SECRETARY, 

ANDREW    WARXER 


TREASURER, 

BEN  J  AM  IX     H.     FIELD. 


LIBRARIAN. 


GEORGE    HENRY    MOORE,    LL.D 


iXKCCTIVE   COMMITTEE. 


FIRST  CLASS— FOR   ONE   YEAR    ENDING    1S75. 

JOHX  TWrOR   TOHXSTOxX,         ERASTUS  C.    BENEDICT,  LED 

KUlJERT    Li:x^iX    Kl  \Xi:i)V.  ** 


SECOND    CLASS  —  FOR    TW"'.)    \'KARS    ESDI'S'^     lS-(3 

JOSEni    ]^.    VAKXTM,  KVKRT    A.    DlVCKIXCK, 

JAMKS    WILLIAM    ULLK.MAX. 


THIFU)    CLASS— FOR    TJIREE    YEARS    ENDLXG    1S-7. 

SAMUEL   OSGOOD,    D.D.,  WILLIAM    R.    MARTIN. 

CHARLES    P.    KIRKLAND,    LL.l). 


FOURTH    CLASS— FOR    FOUR    YEARS    ENDIVO    iS-S 

EDWARD    F.    DE    LAXCEV,  HEXRY    DRISLER,    ELD, 

JAMES    II.    TITUS. 


if-',_ 


CHARLES     P.      KIRKLAXD.,     LL.D.,      r^.'/r;;^;;. 

GEORCJE   H.    MOORE,    LL.D.,    S,cr,farv. 

[The  President,  Recording  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  LihrariAM  are  members, 
tx-offiiso,  of  tlic  E.xecutive  Committee.] 


COMMITTEE    OX    THE    EIXE   ARTS 


JnXATIIAX    STURGES, 
A.    i>.    DURAXD, 
AXDREW    WARNER, 


WILLIAM    J,    HiilTIX, 
JOHX    A.    WEEKS. 
EDWARD    SATTERLRE. 


JONATHAN    STURGES,  O/uvrw,.^;/. 
ANDREW    WARNER,    Secretary. 

[The   President,    Librarian,   and   Ciiairman  of  the   Executive  Committee  are 
members,  ex-ojicio,  of  the  Committee  -m  t!ie  Fine  Arts.] 


1*1?-  -^ 


y^ 


1,^ .. 


II-I-IAM     Till 


I 


111  I\  I  ) 


AS  A  Kl-:i  ()RMKR. 


,» 


HE    century    which    witnessed    the    hfe    of 
W  ilham  III.   is  one  of  tb.e   most  remark- 
able in   history,  and  furnished  a  splendid 
theatre  for  his  extraordinary  career.     The   impulse 
which    had    been    given    to    the    world,   by    the    re- 
vival   of    letters    and    the    Protestant    Reformation, 
had  been  communicated    to    all   classes    in    society  ; 
and  the  result   was   to    be    seen   in   a   uni\-ersal  and 
unparalleled    activity    in    every    department    of  lifo. 
The    seventeenth   century   was,   perliaps    more   than 
any   other,  a  transition    period.      It  is   characterized 
more  than   any  preceding  (,poch  b)-  what   is  known 
distinctively  as  modern  thought.      It  witnessed,  more 
than  any  preceding  epoch,   tlie   shaping  of  political 


'i- 


■iiMJIMMm 


I 

i 


lO 


William  the   Third 


institutions  into  the  forms  in  which  they  now  present 
themselves.  The  old  was  everywhere  passing  into 
the  new. 

At  the  very  threshold  of  the  century  we  find  our- 
selves   in   the  presence   of  that    great  work   which 
has   exercised   such   a   powerful    influence  upon   the 
English-speaking  people — the  authorized  version  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures.     Besides  the  moral  and  spirit- 
ual benefits  which  this  wonderful  translation  of  the 
Bible  has  conferred  upon  the  world,  no  other  agency 
has  so  largely  contributed  to  the  preservation  of  the 
English  language  at  the  point  of  purity  and  strength 
which  it  had  at  that  time  attained.     It  was  early  in 
this  century  also  that  the  Baconian  system  of  Philo- 
sophy entered,  as  one  of  Its  most  powerful  factors, 
into  our  modern  life.     A  lltde  earlier,  the  first  Eno-- 
llsh  colony  was  established  on  this  continent,  and  the 
stupendous  development  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization, 
on  this   side   of  the  Atlantic,  commenced.      On  the 
other    side  of  the    globe   the    East-India   Company 
commenced  its  career,  fraught  with  such  momentous 
consequences  to  the  teeming  millions  of  HIndostan, 
and  laying  the  foundations   of  that  mighty  dominion 
which  has  given  to  the  Queen  of  England  the  title 
of  **  Empress  of  the  Indies." 

The  early  years  of  the  century  witnessed  the 
career  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  the  triumphs  for 
Protestantism    wdiich    he    achieved.       The    middle 


\ 


tli 


as  a  Reformer. 


II 


period  of  the  century  witnessed  the  Great  Rebellion, 
and  the  ascendency  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  Just  as  the 
first  half  of  the  century  was  passing  away,  the  *'  Peace 
of  Westphalia"  was  signed  at  IMunster,  and  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  balance  uf  power  in  Ivnrope  established. 
It  was  at  this  period,  in  tlie  year  1650,  tliat  IJ'^illiam, 
Prince  of  O range y  was  borfu 

A  period  so  remarkable  for  great  movements  and 
events  must  necessarIK'  have  had  its  ^reat  iiicn  also. 
The  seventeenth  century  presents  an  array,  seldom 
equalled  In  histor)',  of  men  eminent  In  art,  poetry, 
philosophy,  theology,  and  government. 

In  Holland,  we  meet  with  the  names  of  Grotius, 
Huygens,  Leuwenhoeck,  and,  greater  than  all.  the 
name  of  Benedict  Spinoza.  In  Spain,  all  other  names 
fade  Into  inslirnlficance  before  the  o-enlus  of  Calderon 
de  la  Barca.  In  Germany,  It  Is  enouorh  that  we  find 
the  name  of  Kepler,  second  only  to  Isaac  Newton  In 
the  grandeur  of  his  discoveries  ;  superior  perhaps  to 
Newton  In  his  fine,  penetrating  Insight  into  the  mys- 
teries of  nature. 

In  France,  we  have  a  brilliant  array  in  the  names 
of  Corneille,  Rochefoucault,  Alollere,  Madame  de  Se- 
vigne,  Racine,  Tlllemont,  Descartes,  IMalebranche, 
Bourdaloue,  and  Pascal.  In  Italy,  we  have  Salvator 
Rosa,  Bentlvogllo,  Torricelli,  P^lllcaja,  Sforza  Pallavl- 
cino,  Rainaldi,  and  Mao^llabecchi.  But  it  was  In  Enor- 
land  that  the  period  seemed  to  be  most  fruitful  In  great 


I 


12 


William  the    Third 


men    in    every    department    of    intellectual    activity. 
There    were  Ford,    Ben    Jonson,   Massinger,    Cow- 
ley,   and    John    Milton.       In  another  department  of 
literature  we  meet  the  names  of  Camden,   Raleigh, 
Cotton,   Purchas,  Thomas  Fuller,   Clarendon,  Izaak 
Walton,  and  John  Bunyan.      In  still  another  we  find 
Francis  Bacon,  Usher,  Hobbes,  Chillingvvorth,   Bar- 
row,   Pearson,    Jeremy    Taylor,   Algernon  Sydney, 
Ralph    Cudworth,    Tillotson,  Leighton,  Baxter,  and 
Boyle.     Scarcely  any  other  period  of  years    in    the 
history  of  the  world,  especially  in   England,  will  be 
found  so  prolific  in  men  distinguished  in  every  walk 
of  life,  and  exercising  so  powerful  and  permanent  an 
influence  upon  the  progress  of  mankind.     It  was  in  • 
the  midst  of  this  century,  and  surrounded  by  this  bril- 
liant constellation,  that  William,  Prince  of  Oranee, 
came  upon  the  public  stage. 

As  our  purpose  is  to  speak  of  William  as  a  Reform- 
er, and  to  consider  especially  his  relation  to  modern 
thought  and  progress,  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell 
upon  the  circumstances  of  his  early  life,  nor  to  sketch 
his  strange  and  eventful  career  as  the  youthful  o-ene- 
ral  and  Stadtholder  of  his  native  land. 

But  in  order  rightly  to  estimate  his  place  in  his- 
tory, It  will  be  well  to  trace  his  ancestry,  and  observe 
the  links  which  bound  him  to  all  the  great  moving 
Influences  of  his  time.  He  was  the  son  of  William 
II.   of   Orange,   and   his   mother    was  the   Princess 


as  a  Reformer, 


13 


wm- 


Mary  of  England,  the  daughter  of  Charles  I.  His 
grandfather  was  the  Stadtholder  Frederic  Henry, 
a   brother  of  the   great    Maurice   of  Nassau.     His 

great-grandfather  was  William  the  Silent,  and  his 
great-grandmother,  the  wife  of  Wllllani  the  Silent, 
was  the  daughter  of  Admiral  Colignv.  Tliis  is 
indeed  a  noble  and  wonderful  lineaire ;  and  in  it 
are  to  be  found  subtle  and  mysterious  intluences 
which  prepared  William  for  the  great  part  wliich  he 
was  to  play  In  establlsliing  the  Reformation  u[)on  a 
lasting  basis,  and  reconcIlIuL'',  In  some  de<>Tee  at 
least,  the  principles  and  |)rc^*udlces  of  the  Stuart 
party  In  England  to  modern  ideas  and  progress. 

It  we  would  bring  before  our  minds  the  aspect  of 
the  great  prince  to  whom  the  destinies  of  P^ngland 
were  committed  at  the  most  critical  period  perhaps 
in  Its  history,  we  must  Imagine  a  man  less  than  forty 
years  of  age,  but  already  old.  Worn  with  Innumera- 
ble cares  and  wasted  with  disease,  his  attenuated 
body  seemed  scarcely  able  to  sustain  the  burden  of 
life  ;  but  his  iron  and  Invincible  will  forced  it  to  the 
performance  of  the  most  Herculean  labors. 

William  had  already  accomplished  a  vast  work  In 
the  line  of  the  great  mission  which  he  considered  as 
especially  Imposed  upon  him.  He  regarded  the 
rapidly  rising  power  of  France,  under  Louis  XI\\,  as 
the  great  danger  to  Protestantism  and  freedom  In 
Europe.     This  power,  while  yet  no  more  than  the 


0 


^/ 


«i  *- 


I 


14 


William  the  Third 


Stadthokler  of  Holland,  he  had  been  able  to  hold  at 
bay;  and  he  had  already  criven  indications  of  con- 
summate statesmanship  in  the  coalition  against 
France  which  he  had  already  formed,  when  he,  as 
WilUam  the  Third,  zcas  called  to  the  throne  of 
En  0^1  and. 

No  statesman  ever  had  a  more  difficult  task  to 
accomplish  in  the  way  of  harmonizino-  conflictino- 
interests,  and  introducing  needed  reforms,  than  that 
which  devolved  upon  William  when  he  became  Kin'^ 
of  Encrland. 

In  order  to  understand  this,  it  is  necessarv  to  con- 
sider  the  peculiar  influences  of  the  times  in  which  he 
lived,  and  the  special  circumstances  by  which  he  was 
surrounded.  His  career  was  passed  at  the  centre  of 
the  most  potent  forces  of  the  world,  at  the  very 
beginning  of  what  is  understood  by  the  expressions 
*'  Modern  Thought  "  and  "  Modern  Societv."  The 
old  feudal  system,  with  all  its  manifold  relations  to 
life,  was  passing  away,  and  the  process  had  com- 
menced, so  significant  in  the  history  of  the  world,  of 
the  substitution  of  the  relations  of  contract  in  its 
place. 

The  impulse  which  had  been  given  to  thought, 
and  which  had  its  principal  expression  in  the  great 
Reformation,  now  began  to  reveal  its  presence  in 
the  most  widely  separated  departments  of  life. 
Throughout  all  Europe  there  was  the  stirrino-  of  a 


«Lidi>M 


I 

I 


t 


as  a  Reformer, 


15 


new  intellectual    power  applied  to  every  sphere  of 
human  interest. 

In  estimating  the  place  and  iniluence  uf  William 
III.  in  h'story,  we  must  remember  that  tlic  time  in 
which  he  lived  w^as  vcrv  earlw  i)erha|)s  alto^'cthcr 
too  early,  to  ri<dulv  estimate  the  meaninor  and  the 
direction  of  the  crreat  movements  whicli  were  ^'oin"- 
on.  If  W^illiam  saw  that  there  was  an  irresistible 
tendency,  revealing  itself  even  in  his  time,  towards 
a  democratic  condition  of  society,  in  which  tlie  vast 
masses  of  the  people  were  to  be  lifted  up  to  a  position 
of  higher  social  and  political  privileges  ;  If  he  laid 
hold  at  that  time  of  some  of  the  great  principles  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom,  it  is  certainly  something 
remarkable  in  the  circumstances  In  which  he  was 
placed.  And  if  he  wisely  adapted  means  to  ends, 
and  set  the  nation,  over  wlilch  he  was  called  so 
mysteriously  to  reign,  In  the  path  of  modern  pro- 
gress and  development,  his  place  among  the  great 
statesmen  of  the  world  will  have  been  established. 
A  critical  examination  of  his  history  will  show  that 
he  was  all  this,  and  more. 

The  antagonism  involved  in  this  transition  from 
the  Old  society  to  the  New  had  nowhere  a  more 
intense  development  than  in  England.  Intelligence, 
and  at  least  a  rudimentary  education,  were  much 
more  widely  diffused  in  England  than  on  the  Conti- 
nent.    Besides  this,  the  Reformation  had  interwo\en 


j»-- 


i6 


Willi  am  the   Third 


itself  with  English  life,  and  had    Imparted  a  mighty 
Impulse  to  English  development. 

Still  more,  the  principles  of  personal  freedom  and 
responsibility  seemed  to  inhere  in  the  race  which 
had  become  paramount  in  England.  It  was  the 
Iiulo-European  family  in  Its  Germanic,  or  more  dis- 
tinctly its  Saxon,  form.  Its  relationship  was  most 
intimate  with  the  race-developments  and  lanmiaees 
of  Holland  and  Germany.  Indeed,  It  had  received, 
centuries  before,  from  Holland  some  of  the  most 
potent  forces  of  its  history. 

Through  Its  whole  history  there  had  been  a  more 
or  less  distinct  and  conscious  struo-ehne  after  kistlce 
and  freedom.  The  Magna  Charta  and  the  Common 
Law  of  England,  the  adjustment  of  the  rival  claims 
of  Church  and  State,  and  the  vindication  of  the  rleht 
of  England  to  order  Its  own  affairs  and  proceed  in 
the  line  of  Its  own  development,  without  the  dictation 
of  any  foreign  ecclesiastical  power,  were  the  signifi- 
cant marks  by  which  the  progress  of  this  struggle 
was  Indicated.  If  we  examine  the  condition  of  En^T- 
lish  society  In  the  reign  of  James  II.,  which  was  the 
condition  upon  which  William  III.'s  Influence  was  to 
be  specially  exercised,  we  shall  find  a  complication  of 
antagonistic  Influences  scarcely  paralleled  In  the  his- 
tory of  the  world.  We  have  a  sovereign  beloncrino- 
to  a  reactionary  family,  and  possessing  every  retro- 
grade tendency  of  that  family:  devoted  to  the  theory 


-.-..'^i 


as  a  Refornier, 


17 


of  the  absolute  mastership  of  the  king ;  a  biQ'ot 
throughout  every  fibre  of  his  being  ;  hostile  to  the 
prevailing  tendencies  to  civil  and  religious  freedom, 
and  determined  to  restore,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
condition  of  thincrs  before  the  Reformation. 

Many  among  the  nobilit)'  agreed  with  him ;  but 
many  also  were  Irrevocably  opposed  to  the  purposes 
which  he  cherished.  The  common  people  were 
overwhelmingly  Protestant,  and  upon  them  and  tlieir 
steadfastness  the  hope  of  the  nation  was  placed. 
The  representatives  of  the  National  Church  could 
be  depended  upon,  as  a  whole,  to  resist  the  introduc- 
tion of  Romish  influences  into  the  realm.  vSome  of 
the  Bishops,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  took  a  noble 
stand  in  this  respect.  The  clergy  also  stood  firm. 
I)Ut  the  problem  was  rendered  more  complicated 
and  difficult  by  the  fact  that  the  Dissenting  body 
were  as  jealous  of  the  Established  Church  as  the 
adherents  of  the  Established  Church  were  of  the 
Romanists.  It  must  have  seemed  well-nl^-h  im- 
possible  to  reconcile  such  conflicting  mterests  as 
these. 

This  was  the  task,  however,  which  William  III. 
was  compelled  to  undertake,  and  to  do  It,  too,  in 
spite  of  the  additional  difticulty  that  his  right  to 
govern  at  all  was  regarded  by  many  as  highly  ques- 
tionable, if  not  absolutely  without  foundation. 

It  is  exceedingly  Interesting  to  notice  the  wisdom 


i8 


William  the  Third 


with  which  William  laid  the  foundations  of  his  future 
influence  and  power,  when  negotiations  were  opened 
with  him  in  regard  to  the  throne  of  England. 
Although  himself  the  grandson  of  Charles  I.,  it  was 
chiefly  because  his  wife  was  the  daughter  of  James 
II.  that  he  was  called  to  the  rescue  of  Protestantism 
and  constitutional  liberty  in  England.  It  was  clear 
that  Mary  must  be  Queen,  whatever  the  position  that 
he  might  occupy.  Had  his  wife  been  other  than  she 
was,  this  might  have  proved  a  great  embarrassment ; 
for  William  was  determined  to  be  king,  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  term,  if  he  accepted  at  all  the  overtures 
of  the  English  people.  But  INIary  was  one  of  the 
truest  and  most  devoted  of  wives,  and  had  no  ambi- 
tion, and  knew  no  purpose  in  life,  but  to  promote  the 
great  objects  which  he  "had  in  view\  In  addition, 
however,  to  the  sweetness  of  disposition  and  amia- 
bility which  were  such  prominent  characteristics  of 
her  nature,  she  possessed  great  good  sense  and 
remarkable  tact,  even  in  circumstances  requiring  the 
utmost  shrewdness  and  self-possession.  With  such 
qualities  as  these  there  was  little  difficulty  in  bring- 
ing about  the  only  arrangement  to  which  William 
would  consent,  that  of  joint  occupancy  of  the  throne. 
AMth  a  wife  so  devoted  to  his  interests,  this  was  to 
be  practically  sole  sovereign  of  England. 

Not  long  after  his  accession,  and  when   he  had 
established  himself  in  some  degree  of  security  upon 


m 


I 


as  a  Rcformc7\ 


19 


5. 


the  throne,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  cause  of 
ecclesiastical  reform.  A  Presbyterian  by  birth  and 
education,  he  exhibited  extraordinary  breadth  and 
toleration  when  he  found  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
English  Church.  He  endeavored  to  secure  not  only 
toleration,  but  valuable  civil  rights  for  the  Roman 
Catholics,  at  a  time  when  England  had  become 
intensely  Protestant,  and  when  scarcely  a  privilege 
could  be  accorded  to  them  which  they  were  not  sure 
to  abuse.  He  probably  would  have  preferred  a 
moderate  Episcopacy  in  Scotland,  but  he  wisely  fell 
in  with  the  prevailing  preference  of  the  people,  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  present  ecclesiastical  sys- 
tem of  the  northern  kinordom.  He  was  chieflv  inter- 
ested,  however,  in  the  relation  of  the  Non-Conform- 
ists to  the  Established  Church.  He  issued  a  royal 
Commission,  constituting  ecclesiastical  commission- 
ers, whose  special  duty  it  was  to  propose  a  revision 
of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  This  was  a  part  of 
the  general  scheme  of  William  for  ecclesiastical 
reform.  It  had  been  a  cherished  purpose  with  him 
to  bring  the  Non-Conformists  back  into  the  Church  ; 
but  in  order  to  accomplish  this  it  seemed  necessary 
that  certain  modifications  should  be  made  in  the 
Liturgy. 

The  Commission  thus  appointed  consisted  of  ten 
Bishops  and  twenty  other  divines.  Among  the 
Bishops    is    to    be    found    the    name    of    the    Arch- 


liSagj! j..= 


'•' 


20 


William  the   Third 


bishop  of  York ;  the  poHtlcal  position  of  Sancroft, 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  rendering  his  ap- 
pointment Impossible.  Of  the  other  clerg-y  six 
were  Deans,  four  were  Professors  and  Doctors  of 
Universities,  four  were  Archdeacons,  and  six  were 
of  the  London  clergy.  The  members  of  this  Com- 
mission were  amoncr  the  most  distinoruishetl  hkmi  of 
the  land.  This  will  be  recognized  at  once  when  we 
mention  the  names  of  Stillingfleet,  Burnet,  Patrick, 
Tillotson,  Hall,  and  Tenison. 

Few  men  have  attained  so  wide  a  fame  by  writ- 
ings, at  so  early  a  period  of  life,  as  Stillingfleet, 
whose  liberal  opinions  made  him  a  most  important 
coadjutor  of  the  king,  and  one  of  the  most  advanced 
men  of  his  age.  Gilbert  lUirnet,  Bishop  of  Salis- 
bury, the  first  bishop  appointed  by  William,  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his  time.  P^ew  men 
ha\c  been  so  greatly  liked,  and  so  bitterly  hated. 
The  frankness  with  which  he  avowed  his  opinions 
ealned  him  man\-  friends,  while  the  latitudlnarlan 
character  of  his  opinions  made  him  many  enemies. 
llu'  fact  that  these  strong  personal  feelings  In  re- 
gard to  him  have  been  perpetuated  from  generation 
to  generation,  Is  evidence  of  the  profound  Impres- 
sion which  he  has  made  upon  the  history  of  Eng- 
land. 

Patrick  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  and  a  labori- 
ous commentator   on   the    Scriptures.       His  special 


as  a  Reformer, 


21 


duty  in    the    Commission   was    the    expanding   and 
ornamenting  of  the  Collects,  which  were  ihoucdit  to 
be  too   short  and  dry.     As  a  specimen  of  Patrick's 
work  in   the   similar   undertaking  of  expanding  and 
ornamenting    the    version    of    the  Canticles,    Lord 
ALicaulay  gives  the  following  paraplirase  upon   the 
beautiful  verse:    ''I    charofe    vou,    O    dau   Iikts    of 
Jerusalem,  if  ye  find  ni\-  Ix'loxcd.  tjiat    3'c   toll    liim  T 
am  sick  of  love."     Patrick's  version    is   as   follows  : 
'' Lo,  I  turned  m\-sc:lf  to  those  of  \w\  ncii^ldiors  and 
familiar   acquaintance,   who   were  awakened   Ij)-  my 
cries  to  come  and  see  what  the  matter  was,  and  con- 
jured them,  as  they  would  answer  it  to  God,  that  if 
they  met  with  my  beloved,  they  Avould  let  him  know, 
—What  shall  I   say?     What   shall  I   desire  you  to 
tell  him.  but  that   I   do   not  enjoy  myself  now  that  I 
want  his  company,  nor  can  be  well  till   I   recover  his 
love  again  .^"     Upon   this   Lord  ALacaulay  remarks, 
that   "the  choice  of  Patrick  for  the  work  of  expand- 
ing and    ornamenting    the    Collects  seems   to  have 
been  in  one  respect  unexceptionable,  for  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  way  in  which  he  paraphrased  the  most 
sublime  Hebrew  poetry,  we  shall  probably  be  of  the 
opinion    that  whether  he  was  or  was   not  quallhed 
to  make  the   Collects  better,  no  man  that  ever  li\  ed 
was  more  competent  to  make  them  longer." 

No  divine   in   that  period  enjo\ed  a  greater  re])u- 
tation   as  a  sermonizer    than   Archbishop    Tillotson. 


22 


Williavi  tJic   Third 


Posterity  has  not  confirmed  this  estimate.  Perhaps 
the  view  of  the  present  time  is  as  mistaken  as  that 
ot  Tillotson's  contemporaries.  There  are'  certainly 
wonderful  smoothness  and  clearness  in  Tillotson's 
stvle  ;  and  his  sermons  are  thouorhtful  and  instructive 
without  being-  specially  profound. 

Of  the  remarkable  character  and  ability  of  these 
and  other  men  upon  this  Commission  there  can  be 
no  doubt.  They  seem  to  have  addressed  themselves 
to  their  work  with  earnestness  and  industry.  They 
continued  for  about  six  weeks,  holdinor  eicfhteen  ses- 
sions,  besides  having  numerous  sessions  of  sub-com- 
mittees. 

The  work  of  revision  proceeded  to  the  end  of  the 
Commination  Service.  Circumstances  here  inter- 
rupted the  further  prosecution  of  the  work.  No 
report  was  made  to  Convocation  ;  and  the  results  to 
which  the  Commissioners  had  arrived  were  not  suf- 
fered to  become  public.  It  was  not  until  the  year 
1854  that  the  Revision  of  these  Royal  Commis- 
sioners was  given  to  the  world.  On  the  14th  of 
March  of  that  year  a  motion  was  made  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  by  Mr.  Heywood,  in  consequence  of 
which  an  Address  Avas  voted  for  a  copy  of  the  altera- 
tions In  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  prepared 
by  the  Royal  Commissioners  for  a  revision  of  the 
Liturgy  In  1689.  The  only  copy  In  existence  was 
in    the    Archlepiscopal    Library    at  Lambeth.     It  is 


as  a  Reformer. 


23 


% 


f 


now  published  as  one  of  the  Blue-Books  of  the 
House  of  Commons. 

It  is  well,  probably,  that  this  effort  was  arrested 
by  the  non-juring  schism.  Noble  as  the  Idea  of  the 
comprehension  of  the  Non- Conformists  was,  it  was 
probably  too  late  for  its  realization  ;  and  any  changes 
in  the  Services  of  the  Church  would  have  been  likely 
to  strengthen  the  non-jurors,  who  would  then  have 
seemed  to  be  the  true  representatives  of  the  old 
National  Church. 

But  while  this  effort  failed,  in  the  special  form  in 
which  It  was  undertaken,  the  whole  Influence  of 
William,  in  the  propositions  which  he  made  and  the 
legislation  which  he  suggested,  was  given  to  that 
moderation  and  breadth  which  have  ever  since,  for 
the  most  part,  characterized  what  may  be  called  the 
civil  adminlstrat'on  of  the  Church  of  Enoland.  A 
profound  impression  seems  to  have  been  made  at 
that  time  in  regard  to  the  comprehensiveness  of  the 
National  Church,  and  the  necessary  duty  of  tolera- 
tion of  widely  different  schools  of  opinion.  Since 
that  time  there  has  not  been  a  sin  Me  Primate  of  all 
England  who  has  not  held  and  administered  his 
high  office  in  that  spirit.  The  judgments  of  the 
highest  ecclesiastical  courts  have  been  in  accord- 
ance with  the  same  great  Idea,  and  have  been  remark- 
able for  the  breadth  and  generosity  of  principles  by 
which   the}'   were  governed.     P^or  this  the  English 


24 


William  the   Third 


nation  is  deeply  indebted  to  the  Christian  wisdom 
and  controlHng  influence  of  William,  Prince  of 
Orange. 

It  is  well,  perhaps,  at  this  point,  that  we  should 
bring  before  ourselves  the  formidable  difficulties  by 
which  William  was  surrounded  in  every  movement 
which  he  made  for  reform.  As  a  foreii'-ner  he  was 
disliked  in  Eno-land.  His  reserved  manner  and  taci- 
turn  disposition,  which  belonged  to  him  by  inherit- 
ance, and  were  absolutely  necessary  to  him  in  the 
position  in  which  he  was  placed,  alienated  from  him 
many  who  would  otherwise  have  been  his  friends 
and  supporters.  He  was  surrounded  by  conspirators 
and  assassins.  There  was  not  a  sinMe  moment  of 
his  reign  when  his  right  to  the  throne  was  not  con- 
tested and  denied.  He  was  obliged  to  wao-e  wars 
in  Scotland,  in  Ireland,  and  on  the  Continent.  The 
poor,  feeble,  wasted  frame  of  the  king  was  doomed 
to  the  most  painful  efforts  and  sacrifices  for  a  nation 
not  his  own,  but  whose  destiny  Providence  had  so 
mysteriously  confided  to  his  hands. 

I'he  most  trying  thing  of  all  was,  that  Parliament 
seemed  incapable  of  entering  into  the  grandeur  of  his 
designs  and  the  noble  disinterestedness  of  his  pur- 
poses. There  is  nothing  more  pathetic  in  the  whole 
history  of  the  English  nation  than  the  almost  broken- 
hearted utterances  of  William,  when  he  beecred  of  the 
Commons  to  provide  him  with  an  army  adequate  to 


T 


\\ 


as  a  Reformer,  25 

maintain  the  pre-eminence  of  England  in  Continental 
affairs,  or  else  perniiL  iiim  to  abdicate  in  favor  k^\  the 
Princess  of  Denmark. 

All  these  difficulties  arc  to  hi^  taken  into  th(^  acccnint 
when  we  consider  the  relation  of  William  to  the 
great  reforms  which  have  been  owing,  more  or  less. 
to  the  influence  which  he  exerted.  An  illustration 
of  the  extreme  difficulties  bv  which  he  was  embar- 
rassed — difficulties  proceeding  even  from  those  who 
were  themselves  earnestb'  desirous  of  reform — is  to 
be  found  in  the  necessity  frequently  imposed  upon 
him  of  resorting  to  the  veto  power,  which  has  been 
exercised  only  once  in  the  almost  two  centuries  since 
his  death. 

The  first  time  that  W^illiam  was  compelled  to  exer- 
cise this  prerogative  is  an  instance  in  point.  The 
Bill  of  Rights  had  deprived  the  crown  of  the  power 
of  arbitrarily  removing  the  judges,  but  it  had  not 
made  them  entirely  independent.  They  were  to 
be  remunerated  partly  by  fees  and  partly  by  sala- 
ries. The  king  could  not  control  the  fees,  but  the 
salaries  were  under  his  power.  He  could  increase 
or  reduce  them  at  will.  This  was  evidently  not  as 
it  should  be.  A  bill  was  brought  in  to  rectify  the 
matter  by  making  the  remuneration  a  thousand 
pounds  ;  but  this  was  unfortuhately  made  a  charge 
upon  the  hereditary  revenue.  It  was  impossible  for 
William  to  protect  the  rights   of  the  crown,   which 


.i 


26 


Williain   the    Third 


M-ere  equal!)-  important  as  any  other  rights,  without 
exercising  the  prerogative  of  vetoing  the  bill.  W'e 
ha\-e  here  a  most  instructive  illustration  of  the  diffi- 
culties under  which  William  inevitabl>-  labored. 

It  may  sound  paradoxical,  but  it  is  doubtless  true, 
that  one  of  the  great  benefits  conferred  by  William 
upon   England  was  the  originating  of  the   national 
debt.     Lord  Macaulay  has  given  a  brilliant  account 
of  the  growth  of  this   debt,    and   the   astonishment 
and  dismay  of  the  country  at  each  stage  of  its  pro- 
gress.    He  has  shown,  also,   how  marvellously  the 
nation    prospered,    and    has  demonstrated  its  abili- 
t)-  to   bear  the    present    burden    of  its    enormously 
increased   debt   with   greater  ease  than  it  bore  the 
comparatively  trifling  indebtedness  of  the  early  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century.     The  mistake  has  been 
made  of  supposing    that    there    is  a   strict  analo^ry 
between  the  debt  of  one  individual  to  another  and 
the  debt  of  a  government  to  its  own  subjects. 

\\'illiam  was  wise  enough  to  understand  that  his 
government  could  have  no  more  effectual  guarantee 
of  its  permanence  than  the  fact  that  it  was  indebted 
to  the  great  majority  of  his  subjects— a  debt  the 
interest  of  which  it  was  perfectly  able  to  pay  so 
long  as  it  continued  in  power,  but  both  the  interest 
and  principal  of  which  were  sure  to  be  lost  if  it 
were  overthrown.  The  effect  of  the  national  debt 
from  that  time  to  this  has  been  to  furnish  a  means 


as  a  Reformer. 


-  / 


of  safe  Investment  ^or  the  earnino;s  of  the  people, 
and  to  interest  them,  in  the  most  practical  way.  in 
the  maintenance  of  the  existino-  order  of  thino-s. 

It  had  been  a  very  <^rlarin^c(  defect  in  the  workini^r 
of  the  pohtical  system  in  England,,  that  the  House 
of  Commons  did  not  truly  represent  its  constituency. 
7diis  had  been  fiai^rrantly  the  case  during-  the  pro- 
tracted I'arliament  in  the  time  of  Charles  II. 

The  duration  of  Parliament  was  dependent  upon 
the  royal  prerogative.  W'illiam  jealously  guarded 
his  prerogative  in  this  respect  by  refusing  his  as- 
sent to  what  was  called  the  Triennial  Ihll,  which 
hmited  the  duration  of  Parliament  to  three  )ears. 
But  no  sovereign  of  England  ever  studied  more 
attentively  the  indications  of  public  sentiment,  or 
labored  more  assiduously  to  mould  legislation  in 
accordance  with  that  sentiment. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  William  that  the  peculiar 
institution  known  as  the  Ministry  originated.  Dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  his  reign  he  had  acted 
upon  a  generous  and  apparently  wise  pur|)ose,  to 
permit  the  different  political  parties  in  En-land  to 
be  represented  in  his  councils  ;  but  later  he  adopted 
a  different  method,  and  established  the  present  ad- 
mirable administration.  A  Ministry  now  is  selected 
from  one  of  the  great  dominant  parties.  It  assumes 
the  responsibility  of  government.  So  long  as  it  can 
command   the  confidence  of  the   representatives  of 


28 


William  the   Third 


as  a  Reformer, 


29 


the  people  it  remains  in  power.  When  confi- 
dence in  the  wisdom  of  its  measures  is  lost,  an 
appeal  is  made  to  the  people  in  a  new  election  of  the 
House  of  Commons  ;  or  a  new  Ministry,  represent- 
ing the  Opposition,  is  at  once  appointed.  It  is  im- 
possible, therefore,  for  the  executive  and  legishitive 
departments  of  the  government  to  be  in  antago- 
nism ;  and  while  there  are  salutary  checks  upon 
public  sentiment,  the  sober,  final  judgment  of  the 
people  must  prevail.  For  this  provision,  so  won- 
derfully adjusted  to  the  whole  machinery  of  govern- 
ment, England  is  indebted  to  the  wise  forecast  and 
sagacious  statesmanship  of  William  III. 

The  great  bulwark  of  the  liberties  of  the  people, 
in  modern  times,  is  the  emancipation  of  the  press 
from  the  control  or  censorship  of  Government. 
The  right  of  freely  criticising  the  measures  of 
Government,  and  of  advocating  whatever  may  be 
thought  desirable  for  the  public  good,  is  the  inalien- 
able prerogative  of  every  citizen.  It  was  during 
the  reign  of  William  that  this  freedom  of  the  press 
was  for  the  first  time  secured. 

The  policy  of  William  in  reference  to  Ireland 
demands  a  moment's  consideration.  No  difficulties 
which  the  British  Government  has  encountered  have 
been  more  complicated  and  vexatious  than  those 
which  have  arisen  from  the  relations  of  EnMand  with 
Ireland.     Difterences  of  race  and  differences  of  reli- 


' 


A 


o 


gion  originally  embittered  the  feelings  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  one  island  against  the  inhabitants  of  the 
other.  Interests  diametrically  opposed  havo  in- 
tensified the  dislike,  and  even  hatred,  which  have 
been  engendered  by  the  fierce  conflicts  wliich  re- 
sulted in  the  subjugation  of  Ireland. 

A  long  scries  of  mistaken  legislation,  to  use  no 
stronger  term,  has  tended  to  widen  the  chasm 
between  the  conquered  and  the  conquering  race.  It 
is  only  within  the  last  few  years,  and  especially 
under  the  administration  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  tliat  the 
purpose  has  been  entertained  of  governing  Ireland 
upon  principles  of  equality  and  justice.  The  princi- 
pal form  which  this  new  legislation  has  taken  is  the 
removal  of  disabilities  under  which  the  Irish  Roman 
Catholics  have  suffered  in  consequence  of  their 
religion.  The  disestablishment  of  the  Irish  Church 
has  been  the  one  great  step  in  this  process,  and  the 
subject  of  University  education  in  Ireland  has  been 
met  by  the  Government  in  the  largest  and  freest 
spirit ;  but  no  practical  result  has  yet  been  reached, 
owing  to  obstacles  interposed  by  the  Irish  them- 
selves. 

The  spirit  of  this  legislation  was  cherished  by 
William,  and  he  would  have  given  it  practical  expres- 
sion, but  the  religious  animosities  of  the  times  ren- 
dered it  impossible.  The  great  Defender  oi  Protest- 
antism in  Europe,  he  extended  the  privilege  of  free 
5 


\- 


30 


William  the    TJiird 


as  if    RcfinDicy. 


31 


worship  to  the  Romanists  in  the  provinces  ceded  by 
France  in  the  treaty  of  Ryswick.  And  aUhough 
compelled  to  wage  war  upon  Irish  soil,  for  the  main- 
tenance of  his  throne,  he  was  ready  to  relieve  his 
conquered  subjects  from  all  disabilities  on  account  of 
their  faith.  It  was  impossible,  however,  to  carry  this 
purpose  into  effect.  The  vehement  remonstrance 
which  came  from  the  Protestants  of  Ireland  and 
England,  at  every  suggested  concession  to  the 
Romanists,  interposed  such  obstacles  that  William 
was  obliged  to  content  himself  with  such  temporary 
expedients  as  he  might  be  able  to  adopt,  and  leave 
the  noble  work  of  justice  to  Ireland  for  a  more  fortu- 


nate age. 


The  chief  triumph,  however,  of  William's  states- 
manship, and  that  which  he  regarded  as  his  great 
mission,  and  to  which  his  whole  public  life  was 
devoted,  was  the  coalition  acfainst  France.  At  that 
time  France  was  the  most  dangerous  foe  in  Europe 
to  civil  and  religious  freedom.  Under  the  splendid 
but  delusive  administration  of  Louis  XIV.  it  attained 
colossal  power.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
safety  of  Protestantism,  and  the  progress  of  society, 
that  this  power  should  be  checked. 

The  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  had 
aroused  an  inextinenishable  hatred  ac^ainst  France, 
which  burned  in  the  Huguenot  blood  of  William. 
There  were  some  extraordinary  circumstances  which 


i 


favored   this  coalition   against  h'rance  ;   and  ui  ilicse 
William  most  skilfully  availed  liimself. 

Spain    was  jealous   of  M'ance,  and   fearful  of  her 
increasing  power  ;   and  the   Protestant  William  was 
able  to  enlist  the  S|)ain,  which  had  so  cruell)-  dc\as- 
tated   the    Netherlands,  amoni/  his   allies.      Catliolic 
Austria   was   also  brought   into   the    coalition,      luit 
what  is  more  extraordinary  than  all,  is   the   fact  that 
the  Pope  himself  became  the  ally,  against  b'rancc,  ot 
William   Prince   of  Oram/e.       William   was  al)le  to 
make  such  use  of  the  a|)prehensions  of  the  Papacy, 
in  regard  to  the   Galilean  liberties,  as  to  make  the 
Church   of   Rome,   as   represented   in   the   Supreme 
Pontiff  himself,  the  great  bulwark,   for  the  time,  of 
Protestantism    in    Europe.      No    stronger    evidence 
could  be  given   of  the  most  consummate  statesman- 
ship.    This  great  purpose  of  William's  life  he  pur- 
sued   amid     incredible     difticulties     with     the     most 
unflinching  boldness  and  persistency. 

There  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  but  that,  under  God, 
the  overthrow  and  destruction  of  Protestantism  in 
Europe  were  averted  by  the  transcendent  genius 
with  which  William,  through  so  many  years,  pre- 
sided over  this  strange,  inexplicable  coalition  against 
France. 

As  the  coalition  against  France  was  the  great  work 
of  William  III.,  so  far  as  continental  politics  were  con- 
cerned, it  may  be  well  to  refer  to  some  of  the  steps 


Williarn  the  Third 


as  a  Reformer. 


Zl 


whicli  led    to    its    dissolution    and    the  final    settle- 
ment between  the  allied  powers  and  France. 

A  very  important  advantage  was  gained  by  Louis 
XI\\,  in  being  able  at  last  to  withdraw  the  Pope, 
whom  William  with  transcendent  skill  had  used  as 
virtually  one  of  the  parties  in  the  Coalition.  The 
difficulty  between  the  Pope  and  Louis  had  arisen  from 
the  assertion  of  what  are  known  as  the  Gallican  Lib- 
erties, in  an  assembly  of  ecclesiastics  in  1682.  Those 
of  the  number  who  were  subsequently  appointed 
Bishops  by  the  King  were  refused  confirmation  by 
the  Pope.  The  Church  of  France  was,  therefore, 
in  an  anomalous  position,  and  the  Supreme  Pontiff 
was  actually  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  enemies  of 
the  Kin  Of. 

Louis  XIV.  was  obliged  to  make  very  important 
concessions  before  he  could  make  his  peace  with  the 
Papacy.  Each  of  the  Bishops  whose  appointment 
was  not  confirmed  by  the  Pope  was  required  to  write 
in  the  most  humble  terms  to  the  Pope,  and  although 
not  retracting  the  principles  of  the  assembly  of  1682, 
yet  declaring  that  the  things  then  decreed  should  be 
as  though  they  were  not  decreed.  The  King  also 
wrote  to  the  Pope  that  he  had  given  orders  that  the 
thines  contained  in  his  edict  of  March  2 2d,  1682,  and 
claiminor  certain  immunities  for  the  Church  of  France, 
should  not  be  observed. 

I'pon  these  concessions  the  necessary  bulls  were 


issued  by  the  Pope.  Peace  was  esial^li^hed  between 
the  contending  parties  ;  but  a  severe  blow  was  dealt 
to  the  cause  of  Bossuet,  and  llie  inde|)endence  oi  the 
Gallican  Church. 

The  brin^nno-  of  the  Coalition  to  terms  was  not, 
however,  so  easy  a  matter.  There  was  to  be  hard 
fi<Thtin^>-  first,  and  concessions  of  the  most  important 
character  were  to  be  extorted  from  the  "  great  King." 
The  first  concession,  perhaps  the  most  humiliating  to 
Louis,  had  already  been  made,  in  his  recognition  of 
the  2isurpcr  William,  as  King  of  England. 

In  1696  we  find  William  disposed  to  treat  for  peace, 
and  in  the  spring  of  169;  a  congress  was  held,  with 
this  object  in  view,  at  the  chateau  of  Xeuburg-Hau- 
sen,  belonrring  to  William,  near  the  village  of  Rys- 
wick.     These  negotiations  led  to  the  Peace  of  Rys- 
wick,  by  which  the  Great  Alliance  was  broken.     The 
price  paid  by  Louis  XIV.  to  William  III.  for  this  rup- 
ture was  the  full  recognition  of  the  Protestant  suc- 
cession in  Eno-land  and  the  restitution  of  vast  terri- 
tories.     The  negotiations  which  resulted  in  the  rup- 
ture of  the  Alliance  and  the  Peace  of  Ryswick  seem 
to  have  been  carried  on  principally  between  Bouffiers, 
on  the  part  of  Louis,  and  the  Duke  of  Pordand  on 
the  part  of  William.     France  had  conquered  in  the 
wars,  but,  as  has  been  well  said,  ''conquered  with- 
out increasing  her  power."     William  yielded  nothing 
of  any  real  importance  to  him.     Louis  beheld   his 


«.i 


34 


Willi  am  i/ie  Third 


territorial  acquisitions  vanish,  and  the  boundaries  of 
his  kingdom  recede  to  the  Hmits  of  1678. 

The  eighteenth  century  had  dawned  when  Wil- 
ham  died,  and  all  the  great  foundation  principles 
peculiar  to  modern  society  had  been  established.  If 
Lord  Bacon  was  the  chief  representative  of  these 
principles  apon  their  theoretic  side,  it  is  certain  that 
they  had  no  more  prominent  and  effective  represent- 
ative upon  their  practical  side  than  William  III. 

Surrounded  with  stupendous  difficulties,  apparendy 
insuperable  to  the  soldier  and  the  statesman  alike,  he 
rescued  Protestantism  and  free  institutions  in  Encr- 
land,  and  made  both  Protestantism  and  freedom  for- 
midable throughout  the  continent  of  Europe.  He 
possessed  the  remarkable  faculty,  unequalled  perhaps 
in  any  other  man,  of  wresting  victory  from  defeat. 
Scarcely  ever  successful  on  the  battle-field,  he  made 
the  triumphs  of  his  enemies  more  barren  and  bitter 
than  their  defeat  could  possibly  have  been.  He  fre- 
(juently  and  conspicuously  failed  to  carry  through 
political  measures  which  he  had  undertaken,  but  none 
the  less  did  he  bear  forward  the  great  cause  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  to  which  his  life  was  devoted. 
The  world  to-day  has  entered  upon  the  prolific  fruits 
of  his  labors. 

Our  own  country,  during  the  formative  period  in 
the  history  of  its  institutions,  is  immenselv  indebted, 
— and  we  should  gratefully  acknowledge  it,— to  the 


as  a  Refo7nue}\ 


Influence  of  the  Prince  of  Orancre.  It  is  a  slni^ular 
fact  that  some  of  tlic  highest  tributes  tliat  liaxc  ])cen 
paid  to  WTliam  are  from  the  country  of  his  enemies. 
Ernest  Moret,  in  his  Oitinzc  .his  dit  n\i:;uc  dc  Louis 
XIV.,  has  eloquently  said  of  him,  "  He  had  tlie  first 
virtue  of  irr^at  men — will — will.  His  feeble  l)odv 
bore  a  soul  of  iron.  He  willed  !  He  had  willed  to 
govern  Holland  ;  at  twent\-two  years  of  age  he 
was  Stadtholder.  He  had  willed  to  be  king  of  Eng- 
land ;  he  died  with  the  crown  of  I{lizal)eth  upon  his 
head."  William  was  at  once  Orator,  l)i})lomatist, 
Statesman,  Soldier.  And  it  has  been  well  said  1)\-  Paul 
Grimblot,  in  his  edition  of  the  letters  of  William  III. 
and  Louis  XI\'.,  ''It  ill  becomes  a  foreigner,  1  am 
aware,  to  reproach  any  nation  with  a  want  of  grati- 
tude. But  W^illlam  III.  Is  not  a  man  of  one.  nation 
more  than  another  ;  he  is  the  representative  of  a 
principle !  Frenchman  though  I  l)e,  I  look  upon 
William  III.  as  one  of  the  greatest  characters  of  his- 
tory." 

Like  most  of  those  who  have  conferred  Q-reat 
benefits  upon  humanity,  the  life  of  William  was  one 
of  disappointment,  toil,  and  suffering.  Nothing  but 
his  unflinching  purpose  and  the  irresistible  impulse 
of  his  will  sustained  him  through  bodily  infirmity, 
the  hatred  of  enemies,  the  coldness  of  friends,  the 
inirratitude  of  those  for  whose  deliverance  all  he  had 
and  was  had  been  given.     The  latter   years  of  his 


3' 


Willia?n  the  Third  as  a  Reformer, 


life  were  saddencil  still  mure  by  the  loss  of  his 
noble  and  devoted  wife,  from  whose  dying-bed  he 
had  been  carried  in  convulsions  in  the  agony  of  his 
grief. 

l)ut  he  won  the  inheritance  of  freedom,  and  be- 
queathed it  to  the  English-speaking  peoples  for  an 
everlasting  possession  !  As  tiiis  mighty  figure  of 
William  disappears  from  history,  we  recall  the  strik- 
ing lines  of  the  German  poet  Stolberg,  which  carry 
us  back  in  imagination  to  the  cradle  of  the  <>-reat 
political  Reformer : 

"  WY'lcome,  great  century  of  Liberty, 
Thou  fairest  daughter  of  slow-teeming  Time. 
With  1)3 ngs  unwont  she  bore, 
And  hailed  her  mighty  child, 
'i'rcrnbling,  she  took  thee  with  maternal  arms  ; 
Glad  shudders  shook  her  frame  ;  she  kissed  thy  front ; 

And  from  her  (|uivering  lips 

Prophetic  accents  broke. 

*  Bold  is  thy  rolling  eye, 

And  strong  thy  tender  hand  ; 
And  soon  beside  tliy  cradle  shall  be  heard 
The  tunes  of  warfare,  and  the  clash  of  arms  ! 
And  thou  shalt  hear  with  smiles 
As  on  thy  mother's  breast. 
I  see  thee  quickly  grow  with  giant  step ; 
With  streaming  golden  hair,  with  lightning  eye, 
Thou  shalt  come  forth,— and  Thrones 
With  Tyrants  tread  to  dust  ! ' " 


\ 


■■■^^"n'i  COLL 


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COLUMB'A  tJN!VFPS'"'v  LIBRAHlE 
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